Protective packs

ABSTRACT

A protective pack particularly for the transit of articles such as books by postal services in which a protective buffer is provided extending around all four edges of the pack.

0 United States Patent 1191 1111 3,713,577 Skinner 1 1 Jan. 30, 1973 [54] PROTECTIVE PACKS 3,250,455 S/l966 Plunkett ..229 34 HW 42$,l88 4/1890 Riedell ..229/33 [75] lnvemorl Demk Charles 50mm, 3,159,274 12/1964 Burt England 3,315,869 4/1967 R0115 [73] Assigneez Level. Brothers Company, New 3,331,548 7/1967 Cassidy ..229 40 York, NY

[22] Filed: 1971 Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton [2l] Appl.No.: 111,293 Att0rney-Louis F. Kline, Jr., Melvin H. Kurtz and [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 6, 1970 Great Britain ..5,740/70 [52] US. Cl. ..229/33, 229/34 HW, 229/40 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 5/06 [58] Field of Search.....229/33, 34 HW, 40, 87 R, DIG. 1

[56] References Cited U NlTED S TATE S PATENTS 2,283,950 5/1942 Ringler ..229/34 HW Edgar E. Ruff [57] ABSTRACT A protective pack particularly for the transit of articles such as books by postal services in which a protective buffer is provided extending around all four edges of the pack.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH 30 I975 30 7 l sum 2 BF 2 INVENTOR DERRICK CHAR! E5 SWNNER BY zm z.

ATTORNEY PROTECTIVE PACKS This invention relates to protective packs for articles such as books particularly for use in the transit of the articles by postal services.

According to the present invention there is provided a pack folded from a one-piece blank along parallel fold lines to form an open ended sleeve having a base panel, two opposed side panels and two top panels, and buffers folded from two flaps each connected by a fold line to one of the two opposing free edges of the base panel and foldable along a plurality of fold lines parallel to said free edges to form the buffers which are adapted to be folded to together extend around all four edges of the base panel and close the open ends of the sleeve. There is thus provided a pack which is folded from a single blank and which has buffer protection around all four edges of the contents to provide good protection during transit.

Preferably the flaps are each divided by three parallel fold lines to form hollow buffers having an outer side wall, an inner side wall and opposed top and bottom walls which lie contiguous with the top and bottom panels respectively of the sleeve. This provides buffers which have sufficient rigidity combined with the necessary resilience for protecting the contents of the pack.

The buffers can be adapted to facilitate folding at right angles so that parts thereof lie in contact with the inside of the side walls of the sleeve and the buffers together extend around all four edges of the base panel, by the provision of cuts or slits in the top wall, inner wall, and bottom wall of the buffers. It is preferable, however, to form apertures in the top and bottom walls of the buffers, the aperture in the bottom wall terminating short of the edge of the blank. This construction leaves the bottom walls on each side of the fold interconnected and the inner wall, which remains intact, forms a further stiffening of the outer corner of the pack.

The inner walls of the buffer fitments are preferably spaced apart at the corners thereby substantially eliminating any possibility of damage to the corner of the contents of the pack. The pack is preferably formed from a blank of corrugated fiberboard material.

The invention also extends to the provision of a one piece blank for forming into a pack having a base panel having four edges, a side panel connected to each of two opposed edges of the base panel, a top panel connected to each of the side panels, and two buffers each connected to one of the remaining two edges of the base panel and adapted to extend around all four edges of the base panel.

An embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 1 partly erected to form a pack,

FIG. 3 is an end elevation in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank in a further stage of erection.

As shown in FIG. 1 a rectangular blank comprises a base panel 1 with two side panels 2 and 3 hingedly connected to respectively opposite edges of the base panel by fold lines 4 and 5. Two top panels 6 and 7 are joined by fold lines 8 and 9 to the side walls 2 and 3 respec tively, the fold lines 8 and 9 extending parallel to the fold lines 4 and 5.

Joined by fold lines 10 and 11 to the other two opposite edges of the base panel 1 are two flaps indicated generally at 12 and 13. These flaps l2 and 13 are each divided into an outer wall 14, top wall 15, inner wall 16 and bottom wall 17 by fold lines 18, 19, and 20. Fold lines 4 and 5 extend across the flaps 12 and 13, the end portions 21 and 22 of the flaps l2 and 13 being separated from the side panel 2 and 3 and the top panels 6 and 7 by slots or cuts 23.

The top and bottom walls 15 and 17 are formed with substantially triangular apertures 24 and 25 respectively symmetrically disposed about the fold lines 4 and 5, the length of the apertures along the fold lines 19 and 20 being slightly greater than twice the width of the top or bottom walls. The apertures 24 extend across the full width of the top panels 15, i.e., between the fold lines 18 and 19, but the apertures 25 are terminated short of the edge 26 of the blank to leave small pieces of material 27 interconnecting the bottom walls 17 on each side of the fold lines 4 and 5, the included angle between the edges 28 and 29 of the apertures 24 and 25 being the same. Fold lines 30 extend across the inner walls 16 joining the intersections of the edges 28, 29 of the apertures with the fold lines 19 and 20 of adjacent apertures.

To erect the pack the flaps 12 and 13 are folded along the fold lines l0, 18, 19, and 20 to form hollow buffers as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 with the bottom walls 17 between the fold lines 4 and 5 lying in contact with the bottom panel 1. From this position the hollow buffers can be folded through a right angle along fold lines 4 and 5 in the plane of the bottom panel 1 to the position as shown in FIG. 4 so that the end portions of the buffers folded from the end portions 21 and 22 of the flaps 12 and 23 lie within the outer walls 16 of the buffers along the fold lines 4 and 5. The apertures 24 and 25 allow the buffers to be folded at right angles, the outer walls 14, which are continuous, folding along fold lines 30 and 4, 5, the inner wall extending towards the fold line in the outer wall at the folded corner. The corners of the inner walls formed by the fold lines 4 and 5 lie close to the inside surface of the corners of the outer walls and provide added protection to the corners of the pack.

Although the piece of material 27 in the bottom wall theoretically opposes folding the buffers at right angles it is found in practice that if this piece of material 27 is small it is easily distorted and does not prevent the folding action, whilst at the same time being useful in maintaining the bottom wall 17 in one piece to facilitate erection.

To close the pack the side panels 2 and 3 are folded up to lie against the outer side walls of the buffers and the top panels 6 and 7 folded over and secured, for example, by adhesive tape. Thus the bottom panel 1, the side panels 2 and 3 and the top panels 6 and 7 together form an open ended sleeve the ends of which are closed by the buffers folded from the flaps 12 and 13. Because the length of the apertures on the fold lines 19 and 20 is greater than twice the width of the buffers the inner walls 14 of the buffers are spaced apart at the corners.

The pack is therefore well suited for packing books or other articles having comers which are easily damaged since the corners of the book are not in contact with the internal buffers, and the presence of the buffers on all sides of the pack provides good protection for the contents.

The pack is easily opened by releasing the adhesive tape or other securing means used for securing the top panels 6 and 7 together. When adhesive tape is used, and to minimize the risk of damage to the contents if a knife is used to cut the adhesive tape along the join between the top panels, the top panels 6 and 7 can be longer so that they overlap. Alternatively the meeting edges of the top panels can each be formed with a series of cut-outs so that the two panels in the closed position interengage so that the meeting line does not provide an easy path for a knife.

Whilst a particular form of construction has been described for the comers of the buffers which are folded to a right angle, it will be apparent that other constructions could be used, such as forming a slot in the top wall, inner wall and bottom wall of the end portions 21, 22 of the flaps adjacent the fold lines 4 and 5. Such other constructions can provide for the inner walls of the buffers at the folded corners to be spaced apart as in the described embodiment or to meet as desired.

The pack as shown in the drawings folded from a rectangular blank, the dimensions of the contents in the three directions permitting this most economic blank shape. Where the dimensions of the contents dictate otherwise the blank may be other than rectangular.

What is claimed is:

l. A pack folded from a one-piece blank comprising a base panel having four edges, two opposed side panels each foldably connected to opposite edges of said base panel, a top panel foldably connected to each of said side panels, the base panel, side panels and top panels forming an open ended sleeve, and a flap connected to each of the other two opposite edges of said base panel, said flaps being foldable to form hollow buffers adapted to lie within said sleeve and extend around all four edges of said base panel to close the open ends of sleeve, said inner walls of said buffers being spaced apart at the comers.

2. A pack folded from a one-piece blank comprising a base panel having four edges, two opposed side panels each foldably connected to opposite edges of said base panel, a top panel foldably connected to each of said side panels, said base panel, side panels and top panels forming an open ended sleeve, and a flap connected to each of the other two opposite edges of the base panel, each of said flaps being divided by three parallel fold lines to form hollow buffers having an outer side wall, an inner side wall and opposed top and bottom walls, said top and bottom walls of said buffers having apertures therein to facilitate folding said buffers at right angles in alignment with the corners of said base panel, said top and bottom walls of said buffers lying contiguous with said top and bottom panels and around all four edges of said pack.

3. A pack according to claim 6 in which said inner side walls of said hollow buffers at the corners of said pack are folded towards said outer side walls of said buffers.

4. A one-piece blank formed from a single sheet of fiberboard material comprising a base panel having four edges, two side panels each foldably connected to opposed edges of said base panel, a top panel foldably connected to each of said side panels, and a flap connected to each of the other two opposite edges of said base panel, said flaps each having two transverse fold lines extended from two opposing edges of said base panel, said flaps each having three parallel longitudinal fold lines so spaced as to define the edges of hollow buffers and defining a first strip having an outermost edge coincident with an outer edge of said blank, a second strip contiguous therewith, a third strip contiguous with said second strip, and a fourth strip separating said third strip and said opposite edges of said base panel, said first and third strips having apertures of substantially triangular form so disposed in opposing base-to-base relationship as to be bisected by said transverse fold lines, said triangular apertures in said first strip terminating short of said outer edge of said blank to provide a continuous outer edge of fiberboard, said continuous outer edge of fiberboard interconnecting the bottom walls of said hollow buffers, and said apertures being so disposed as to provide a space at each corner of said buffers, when said blank is folded to erect a pack.

i I! i i It 

1. A pack folded from a one-piece blank comprising a base panel having four edges, two opposed side panels each foldably connected to opposite edges of said base panel, a top panel foldably connected to each of said side panels, the base panel, side panels and top panels forming an open ended sleeve, and a flap connected to each of the other two opposite edges of said base panel, said flaps being foldable to form hollow buffers adapted to lie within said sleeve and extend around all four edges of said base panel to close the open ends of sleeve, said inner walls of said buffers being spaced apart at the corners.
 1. A pack folded from a one-piece blank comprising a base panel having four edges, two opposed side panels each foldably connected to opposite edges of said base panel, a top panel foldably connected to each of said side panels, the base panel, side panels and top panels forming an open ended sleeve, and a flap connected to each of the other two opposite edges of said base panel, said flaps being foldable to form hollow buffers adapted to lie within said sleeve and extend around all four edges of said base panel to close the open ends of sleeve, said inner walls of said buffers being spaced apart at the corners.
 2. A pack folded from a one-piece blank comprising a base panel having four edges, two opposed side panels each foldably connected to opposite edges of said base panel, a top panel foldably connected to each of said side panels, said base panel, side panels and top panels forming an open ended sleeve, and a flap connected to each of the other two opposite edges of the base panel, each of said flaps being divided by three parallel fold lines to form hollow buffers having an outer side wall, an inner side wall and opposed top and bottom walls, said top and bottom walls of said buffers having apertures therein to facilitate folding said buffers at right angles in alignment with the corners of said base panel, said top and bottom walls of said buffers lying contiguous with said top and bottom panels and around all four edges of said pack.
 3. A pack according to claim 6 in which said inner side walls of said hollow buffers at the corners of said pack are folded towards said outer side walls of said buffers. 